TOWNSEND'S SURF-BIRD. 229 



first very small and placed higher than the rest; the anterior toes free to the 

 base, distinctly margined on both edges, flat beneath, the inner considerably 

 shorter than the outer, the third a quarter of an inch longer than the latter; 

 claws rather small, curved, compressed, blunted. 



Plumage full, soft, rather dense, on the neck and lower parts blended. 

 Wings very long, narrow and pointed; primaries with strong shafts, narrow- 

 ed towards the end, the first longest, the rest rapidly decreasing; outer se- 

 condaries incurved, obliquely rounded, inner elongated, one of them reach- 

 ing to an inch and two-thirds of the tip of the longest primary when the 

 wing is closed. Tail rather short, even, of twelve moderately broad, rounded 

 feathers. 



Bill dusky toward the end, orange at the base. Feet bluish-green, claws 

 black. The general colour of the upper parts is a very dark or blackish- 

 grey; the quills greyish-black; a broad band of white crosses the wing, occu- 

 pying the tips of the primary coverts, the terminal third of the secondary 

 coverts, the bases and more or less of the margins and tips of the quills, 

 several of the inner secondaries having only a streak of dusky on the inner 

 web, but the innermost or elongated quills are destitute of white. The shafts 

 of the quills are also white, as are some of the feathers of the rump, the upper 

 tail-coverts, the basal half of the tail, of which the rest is black, the feathers 

 narrowly edged with white at the end; the black on the tail is narrower on 

 the lateral feathers, and on the outer does not occupy much more than half 

 an inch. The throat is greyish-white; the cheeks, sides, and fore part of the 

 neck, and the anterior part of the breast dull grey, of a lighter tint than the 

 back; the rest of the lower parts white, with small longitudinal oblong dark 

 grey streaks; the axillaries and lower wing-coverts white, those at the edge 

 of the wing dark grey, with white margins. 



Length to end of tail 11 inches; bill from flexure lyf, along the edge of 

 lower mandible lyf ; wing from flexure 7^; tail 3^; tarsus l-^; hind toe 

 T 2 2, its claw T 2 2; middle toe y/, its claw T 3 2. 



The prominence on the terminal part of the upper mandible gives the bill 

 somewhat of the appearance of that of a Plover, but in other respects it more 

 resembles that of the Turnstone, the plumage agrees with that of the latter 

 bird, and the colouring is very similar to its winter dress. This species in 

 short seems intermediate between Tringa and Strepsilas, but is much more 

 allied to the latter, with which it agrees in form and proportions, the princi- 

 pal differences being in the tail, which is not rounded, but even, in the want 

 of scutella on the tarsi, and in the form of the bill at its extremity, the upper 

 mandible in place of being a little recurvate and depressed, having its extre- 

 mity arched and the point a little decurved. Were the latter worn off, it 

 would agree with that of Strepsilas. Conceiving this bird to present cha- 



Vol. V. 32 



